The Bible records the story of Passover in the book of Exodus. The Israelites had moved to Egypt to be with Joseph when there was a great famine in Egypt and the surrounding countries. After Joseph died and the famine was over, the Bible says the Israelites were enslaved by Pharaoh Ramses II who had not known Joseph.

A man named Moses, an Israelite who had been raised in Pharaoh’s household, was called by God to lead his people out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Several times he went to Pharaoh and told him God said, “Let my people go.” However, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he refused to let the Israelites leave.

Each time Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, God sent a plague against the people of Egypt. Those plagues were:

1. Changing the water to blood
2. Frogs covered the land
3. Lice covered the people of the land
4. Flies or wild animals covered the land and destroyed everything in their path
5. Disease, or blight, on the cattle of the land
6. Boils on the skin of people
7. Hail which destroyed the crops and killed anyone who was outside
8. Locusts which came and ate what the hail didn’t destroy
9. Darkness which could almost be felt
10. Slaying of the first-born male of both man and beast

In Hebrew the holy day’s name is Pesach, which means passing over. To avoid this final plague, the Israelites sacrificed a lamb, placed the blood on the lintels and door posts of their home, and then roasted the lamb. As the Death Angel traveled throughout Egypt, He would enter the homes where the blood was not and slay the first-born. For those homes where the blood was found, He passed over that house to go to the next.

Because Pharaoh lost his own son, he finally relented and let the Israelites leave Egypt. They left so quickly they didn’t have time to bake bread, so to this day they have unleavened bread called matzoh during Passover and the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Passover is also considered to be the birth of the Jewish people as a nation.

Each year Jewish and some non-Jewish people celebrate Passover. They recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish nation. They celebrate by having a Passover Seder and remember what God had done for them as a people.

Now that you know the story of Passover, you may be interested in attending a Seder. You may be able to find them listed in the newspaper as being offered by some Christian churches, but more than likely you can find them advertised by a Jewish synagogue. Call them up and ask if you can attend so you can learn more about the Passover story.

Who will you invite? If you’re planning a neighborhood Easter egg hunt, you’ll need considerably fewer eggs than if you’re planning a large-scale hunt. However, if you’re doing a community Easter egg hunt, you may need more space for the egg hunt.

What ages of children will be involved? You’ll want to have this information for a couple of reasons:

1. To know how much space you’ll need
2. To know how many areas you’ll need marked off
3. To determine how many eggs you’ll need

Determine where you’ll hold your Easter egg hunt. Consider holding it in your yard or several yards, at an unused parking lot, a local park, a soccer field, or a high school football field. The larger the area you have available to you, the larger the individual hunting areas can be.

How soon do you start advertising? You’ll want to start advertising a minimum of three weeks before the event, but possibly as much as four weeks. For a neighborhood hunt, you can create flyers which are given to each home in your neighborhood. For larger egg hunts, consider placing them at grocery stores, local places of worship, and doctor’s offices. Include on the flyer a form for the parents to fill out and get back to you the week before the hunt. This should include the parents’ name, how many children will attend, and what age groups they’re in: 0-3, 4-6, and 7-9.

Once you have an idea of the ages of the children who will come to the egg hunt, break the area into three areas. You’ll then be able to determine how much space you need for each age group. Having a separate area for each age group will keep toddlers from being run over by older children.

Purchase 10-15 plastic eggs for each child who will attend. Of course, if you can get all parents in the neighborhood to help buy and fill eggs, it will be less expensive for you personally. You can also ask some other parents to find the prizes. Place change or $1.00 bills in other eggs. Plan to have extra eggs for those children who didn’t RSVP.

Fill them with age-appropriate candy. Keep these separated so the smaller children won’t get hard candy they shouldn’t have. You’ll also want to have up to five prize eggs per age group. For prize eggs, put a coupon in with the candy that they can choose a prize from several. You may also want to give each participating child a ticket to try to win a large Easter basket.

Don’t forget to decorate the egg hunting grounds. Have snacks and drinks available for the children, parents, and anyone working the hunt. As you can see, figuring out how to organize a fun Easter egg hunt isn’t difficult, but it will take time to ensure the children have a great day of Easter egg hunting.

Instructions:
Place the water and sugar into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside until cool. Once cool, pour water/sugar mixture into a large punch bowl and the remaining ingredients, except the sherbet. Mix well. Add the sherbet to the bowl just before serving.

A treat for young and old.

Center pieces

Center pieces can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be. A simple center piece might be a decorated Easter basket, a single flowering potted plant, or a bowl with pastel colored candies. Add some plastic eggs, colored ribbon, or Easter grass and you’ve created a simple center piece.

For a more elaborate center piece, place upturned bowls, bricks or other items to the center of the table to give it different heights. Place a table cloth over these items and then place several flowering potted plants on top of them. Spread colored glass and Easter grass around the plants to add even more interest. If you have small ceramic or toy bunnies, you may want to add those, as well.

Home-made place cards

Ask your children to make place cards which have each guest’s name on them. They can also use plastic eggs with names painted on them. For fun, help the children make cookies of typical Easter shapes. Decorate the cookie with the guest’s name. Not only will they know where to sit, they can enjoy the cookie later.

Flower arrangements

Easter lilies, hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips are common flowers in early spring. Many Easter lilies have a strong smell so you may not want to place them in the dining room as they may be overpowering. Vases of flowers spread throughout the home may be nice and will bring the beauty of springtime indoors.

One flower arrangement you may want to try is to place several daffodils and crocuses in a large pot. Stick a small tree limb with several branches into the center of the daffodils and then hang tiny Easter eggs on strings on them.

Table settings

If you’re not accustomed to using your good dishes very often, Easter is a perfect time to bring them out. In fact, why not go all out when it comes to your table setting? Use the good china and silver wear; your family will enjoy seeing them being used.

You may want to invest in some chargers to place under your plates. This will dress up your table settings. They can be used any time you want to dress up your table, whether you bring out your good dishes or not.

If you’ve never decorated much at Easter, you might want to use these Easter table decorations ideas or come up with some of your own. With the variety of flowers and traditional symbols available there are so many options you can come up with. Have fun decorating and celebrating the holiday!

Ingredients:
4 – 6 lamb loin chops, about 1 inch thick
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and marmalade.

Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Place chops on an oiled broiler rack. Broil each side for about 6 minutes or until almost cooked. Glaze both sides of chops with the marmalade mixture and broil for a further few minutes until cooked to your desired doneness.

Serve immediately with green beans and rice.

Go all out when planning your Easter Sunday brunch. Rather than using only the everyday dishes, create an elaborate tablescape with multiple levels, decorations, and place cards for each person. Light tea light candles even though it’s daylight to add to the ambiance. Vases with fresh flowers (daffodils, crocus, and tulips) would also be nice.

For an Easter Sunday brunch, you might want to offer some of the following to eat:

* Fresh fruit platter with either melted chocolate or cream cheese dip
* Fresh squeezed orange juice, apple juice, or juice cocktails made with sparkling cider or grape juice
* Strawberry and Banana Stuffed French Toast (see below)
* Spinach quiche
* Sausage balls (If someone in your family doesn’t eat pork, you can always use turkey sausage)
* Baked omelet roll or other omelets
* Home-made muffins, biscuits, rolls, or banana nut bread

Strawberry and Banana Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf French bread (cut into 1 1/2 inch slices)
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup chopped banana
6 lightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries in heavy syrup, thawed

Combine the jam, cream cheese, and fruit in a small bowl to make the filling. Then, after you’ve cut your bread into 1 1/2 inch slices, make a pocket in each one by cutting a slit into the bread from almost the top to the bottom on one side. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling into the pocket and then close the pocket by pressing the sides together.

Beat together the eggs and the milk. Use this to soak the bread, being sure to coat both sides.

In a large skillet, heat three tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Place one to two pieces of coated bread into the pan and cook until it is golden brown. Flip the bread and cook the other side. You may want to heat your oven to 150 degrees for the cooked French toast if you have quite a bit to make. This will help keep it warm until all of it is cooked.

Perhaps you’ve never made stuffed French toast and don’t know if it’s something you want to tackle. The recipe really is simple; in fact, it’s so simple you may want to have this delicious French toast for breakfast on normal weekend mornings. This recipe makes about eight servings, so if you’re planning on more for your brunch, you can easily increase the recipe to have enough for everyone.

When you plan your Easter Sunday brunch, use these ideas as a springboard. You’re likely to come up with many more menu ideas or ways to decorate to make this year’s Easter brunch a huge success!

Who says an Easter basket has to be in an actual basket? Find a toy pail or box with a lid which will be usable after the holiday has passed. Using odd containers also makes filling them much more fun.

Chocolate bunnies are almost expected during Easter. You may choose to buy one bunny for each child in your family but there’s no reason you have to purchase a lot of candy to fill a basket. You can also make your own Easter food baskets for children to enjoy, including some of the following:

* Rice cereal treats made with marshmallows. Use colored marshmallows to change the taste. You may also want to dip them partially in chocolate as an added surprise

* Easter cookies in the shape of eggs, chicks, bunnies, or crosses. Decorate the cookies with icing, sprinkles, and candies

* Hard boiled eggs which have been dyed

Rather than putting toys into the basket, why not give the children something educational? When you find inexpensive books your children will enjoy throughout the year, store them in a closet. Then you’ll have them available for other gifts when needed as well.

Many small children enjoy coloring, so coloring books and crayons might be a good choice to place in their Easter basket. These can usually be purchased from discount or dollar stores for around a dollar.

Bubbles are also a good choice for children’s baskets. You can purchase bubbles for little money but you can also make your own with 1 cup dish soap (Dawn or Joy are most often used), 12 cups water, and 3/4 tablespoon glycerin which is available at most pharmacies.

Candles made from eggshells are popular with older children and teens. Poke a pin hole in the small end of an egg and then a larger hole in the larger end. Blow the egg out of the shell, clean it, and then let it dry. Put tape over the pin hole, pour melted wax into the larger hole, and then place a wick into the wax. When the candle has solidified, peel away the egg shell.

Write or find a beautiful poem to let your child know how much you love them. Print it onto springtime scrapbooking paper or use calligraphy to write it out on parchment paper. Place it into a handcrafted frame.

There are many ways you can find or make frugal Easter gifts for your children. It’s not necessary to buy the pre-made baskets which are so expensive if you use a little bit of creativity. You might be surprised to find your children actually prefer home-made baskets instead.

One thing your family might enjoy is taking a walk outdoors at a park or in your back yard. While you’re enjoying the outdoors, pick up sticks, rocks, or other objects which you can create three-dimensional nature art with. Children will enjoy using sticks to make a mouth or rocks for the eyes. The found objects can also be used in a nature display. Please note it’s important not to take bird nests out of the trees or take wild animals from their habitat.

Dye and decorate Easter eggs together. There are some parts of the process which will require adult supervision but the decorations themselves can be done by the children. See which child can come up with the most unusually decorated eggs.

Spend time together as a family to come up with the menu for a great Easter family meal. Ask everyone who is able to cook to prepare one dish. One person could prepare the meat course, someone else a vegetable dish, someone a salad, and someone else a dessert. Don’t forget to have someone prepare a special beverage for the meal.

Easter is considered a Christian holiday. You may want to attend a local religious observance or spend time as a family learning more about the holiday.

Share what you have with a family in need. This may mean opening your home to invite them to Easter dinner or making Easter baskets to take to the family’s children. If you help a family in need to make their day special, your entire family is more likely to remember the day.

Encourage the children of the family to help make decorations. Use the decorations for your home and if you have extras you can give some to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other family. You may also want to share some with the family in need so they have something to decorate their home.

Has the family lost a loved one recently? Take a little bit of time out of your Easter Sunday to visit their graves. Specifically talk about your loved ones and remember the good times you had. Your family may decide to make this an annual part of their holiday.

Host a neighborhood Easter egg hunt rather than simply having one for your own family. Ask other families in the neighborhood to help by either purchasing the plastic eggs, providing candy, or providing refreshments for the event. The hunt may become a favorite part of the neighborhood’s celebration of Easter.

These tips for frugal and memorable Easter family fun are by no means the only things you can do. The easiest thing to do would be to ask your family what would make the holiday more memorable for them. Then take the time to make those activities happen.